EVERY once in a while, I visit somewhere for this column that makes me feel a pang of guilt.

Not guilt for the privilege of eating in lovely places on readers’ behalf (tough job, I know). But guilt because I fear I may have been too kind or generous in my praise for other pubs and restaurants.

Every once in a while (no more than once a year), we are privileged to eat somewhere that’s so good, that has worked so hard to get everything perfect, it forces me to re-evaluate my opinions of other venues.

It also makes me reflect a little on the records I keep of previous out-of-ten ratings.

But, onwards and upwards...

It was only Monday night, but booking ahead a little was clearly necessary for our recent visit. The place was packed.

Billed as a trattoria – less formal than a ristorante – Cena (pronounced “chayna”) translates as dinner or supper.

For the Romans, it was the main meal of the day, a social focal point.

Formerly a short-lived tapas joint called El Abanico and before that Café 85, it’s been taken under the wing of the successful team behind Muse, which has been going from strength to strength on the other side of the High Street since its 2012 opening.

A huge amount of money has clearly been spent on every aspect of the building, from its structure to the décor, fixtures and fittings.

Downstairs it stretches back, quite dark and intimate, all the way to the fancy pizza oven. Heading upstairs via a floor-to-rafters stairwell, there’s a door to nowhere high up, complete with letterbox – someone clearly has a sense of humour.

The upstairs room is a gorgeous panelled affair, with stunning light fittings and lovely large windows. The tables are perhaps a tiny bit cheek-by-jowl, but that’s okay for friendly folk – we find ourselves next to one of Anna’s colleagues.

The menus are clear, concise and hyperbole-free. Nine starters and three antipasti, a range of ten pizzas (they’re whoppers, from £7.95-£9.95) and fourteen mains, pasta and risotto dishes. There’s a fair scattering of vegetarian options too.

Pretty much everything looks tantalizing, making the choosing process fraught with indecision. A cool glass of prosecco on a hot evening helps – with inexpensive, home bottled sparkling water for the driver.

To begin with, Anna chose what turns out to be the star of the night – antipasti de pesce (£6.95). A wooden board of calamari, marinated grilled sardine, creamed tomatoes, green olive tapenade, grilled garlic prawn and smoked salmon crostini.

The sardine and tapenade were particular high points, together with a perfectly ripe, thin-skinned fig.

My Tuscan white bean soup (£4.50) was rich and tasty – flavoured with Parma ham, but let down by insufficiently cooked pulses. Instead of the plump fleshy beans I’d hoped for, they were a bit gritty.

Inspired by my neighbour’s fantastic looking main course, I opted for crispy pork Milanese (£13.95). A large, breadcrumb-coated fried loin steak provided a base for chunky flavoursome roasted potatoes, wild mushrooms, rocket and a sprig of rosemary and lemon wedge.

The pork was tender, the dish as a whole well balanced.

Pasta and risotto dishes are helpfully offered in small and normal portions, so my wife had a modest plate of butternut squash strozzapreti (£5.95). Perfectly sized, this “priestchoker” pasta is made on the premises and laced with a sausage ragu with Sardinian herbs and a sprinkling of pecorino.

Returning to the menu and its range of six puddings and cheese, we still had just the right amount of room left.

I had the cheese (£7.95) – three chunks of Italy’s finest (the gorgonzola was particularly excellent) with masses of walnuts, another half of that excellent fig, and good bread.

They combined perfectly.

Eating Out by Gareth Dant RAISING THE BAR: Cena in Yarm High Street – Picture: Chris Booth Anna’s pantone (sic) bread and butter pudding (£4.95) showed promise, with its orange and vanilla ice-cream and hazelnut custard, but there was just too much dense, stodgy panettone and not enough flavour.

But this, and my gritty beans, was the only low point of the night.

Service was pleasant and attentive throughout.

The food was excellent value, coming to just over £22 per head for three courses. The prosecco and two large glasses of a perfectly decent Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, pushed the bill right up to £68.80, mind.

We’ll be back with the children to try the pizzas.

On the way out, I caught up with chef and co-patron Marcus Bennett. The last time we’d met, he was a teenaged trainee chef at the Tontine (and I an even younger washer-upper). He’s come a long way.

Hurworth’s Bay Horse, which he co-owns with Jonathan Hall, remains his first love, but the pair (and their fellow backers) have successfully reinvented themselves once more with Cena.

The bar – already high in this neck of the woods – is raised again.

Cena

85 High Street, Yarm TS15 9AH
01642 780088 www.cenayarm.com
Food served: From noon-9pm Mon-Thurs (until 9.30pm on Fri and Sat); closed Sun.
Fine for the disabled downstairs

Ratings (out of ten):

Food quality: 8
Service: 9
Surroundings: 10
Value: 9